Former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel has opened up on the current head coach Rahul Dravid’s inability to command a side in the T20 format of the game. Team India currently trail 0-2 in the ongoing five-match T20I series against the West Indies under Hardik Pandya’s leadership as well. However, Dravid took charge as head coach in late 2021 after Ravi Shastri and Co.’s tenure ended. He had a breezy start to his stint, but despite a relatively solid build-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, India lost in the semi-final after losing to the champions England.
Parthiv Patel stated that Hardik Pandya does not have the proactive support from Rahul Dravid that he finds with Ashish Nehra in the Gujarat Titans (GT).
He said on Cricbuzz: “Hardik Pandya has been brilliant as a captain for GT, but over there he had support from Ashish Nehra as well. Is Rahul Dravid the proactive person or coach, which we are looking for in the T20 format? In my opinion, I don’t think so. We need someone who is proactive, Hardik Pandya has that spark, but he needs that support and Rahul Dravid does not provide that for him.”
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However, India didn’t have a great show in other formats as well as they recently lost the World Test Championship (WTC) and is in a state of uncertainty over key players’ injury concerns with only a couple of months left for the 2023 ODI World Cup as well.
He again shared: “Hardik Pandya’s decision to not give Chahal the 18th over was the turning point in the match. He bowled really well in the 16th over, but he did not finish his quota of four overs. So, for me, that was something that turned the game in favor of the West Indies.”
However, Parthiv Patel also praised Akeal Hosein’s match-winning performance in the second game against India. The two teams will take on each other in the third T20I of the series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday, August 8 as well.
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“Pooran was the man of the match, but I felt that the best performer on the field was Akeal Hosein. He got the crucial wicket of Tilak Varma when he was set, then he also produced a great delivery to dismiss Sanju Samson. He scored 16 runs under pressure, and the value of those 16 runs was way too much. Had he got out, then West Indies would have been done and dusted,” Parthiv Patel concluded.
